Since the passage of federal regulations requiring increased energy efficiency in all types of energy consuming devices, particularly heating appliances such as furnaces, manufacturers of SUCH devices have constantly improved and increased the efficiency of these devices to a point where less and less energy escapes the heating appliance through the venting gases. This reduction in temperature in the escaping vent gases has caused a corresponding increase in venting system problems such as poor draft due to the low heat in the venting system, and condensation in the venting system which causes corrosion of the venting system whether it be metal, brick or other type.
Accordingly, many improvements in venting systems have been developed in an effort to combat and reduce these problems. One of the principle developments has been the provision, by many manufacturers, of insulated vent pipe. This insulated vent pipe serves two purposes; First, to allow the inner pipe to remain warm enough to provide an adequate draft for the appliance, while also maintaining sufficient heat in the pipe to avoid condensation and the resultant corrosion problems.
A second benefit of some insulated vent pipes is the ability to utilize these vent pipes in a closed space, such as walls, ceilings, attics and crawl spaces, by reducing the clearance required between the exterior wall of the insulated vent pipe and surrounding combustible materials. One such manufacturer of insulated pipe is Z-Flex (U.S.) Inc. which manufacturers "B-Vent" type of insulated vent pipe.
Many of these vent pipes, however, are designed only for vertical use as chimney replacements and accordingly, an additional market has emerged for various manufacturers to provide insulated vent pipes that are designed to be orientated or installed horizontally, such as required when connecting the heating appliance such as a furnace or hot water heater to the vertically installed insulated vent pipe.
The result has been an increase in the number of manufacturers providing vertically installable venting systems or metal chimney liners, and an additional number of different manufacturers providing horizontally installable venting system components to connect with the vertical components or chimney liners.
Accordingly, a heating appliance installer or heating appliance part distributer must have on hand a large number of venting system connectors to allow the installer to connect an appliance with one manufacturer's horizontal or connecting vent pipe which in turn must be connected with another manufacturer's or other type of vertical venting system, chimney liner or chimney flue. The requirement to have available and in stock such a large number of connectors often results in the installer not having the proper part and/or the distributor not stocking the correct connector.
A further problem has arisen in that recently, manufacturers have begun providing the horizontally installed or connecting segment of the venting system in a flexible type pipe. This allows the installer to utilize fewer connectors given that the flexible pipe can be bent, to some degree, to minimize alignment problems between a heating appliance and the remainder of the venting system.
In order to connect the heating appliance and venting system to such flexible pipe, however, an additional number of connectors must be provided. Further, given the construction of flexible pipe and the fact that this type of pipe typically comes in longer sections and is cut to length, leaving grooves or ridges to the end of the pipe in the connector attachment area, this type of pipe is difficult to permanently engage with a connector and often requires the installer to utilize time consuming efforts, such as installing a number of screws, to connect the flexible pipe to the connector, to ensure the permanency and safety of this connection.
Accordingly, what is required is a connector system which minimizes the number of connectors required to couple flexible vent pipe with other venting devices, such as heating appliances, chimney liners and vertically installed venting systems, to name but a few; and which preferably provides for a universal connector which can couple a flexible, insulated vent pipe to a number of other venting devices.